Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 40: The Yin-Jie Youth, Using Foreign Powers to Respect Himself

In ancient times, there were many rituals for getting married, which generally included six steps: Nacai, Wenming, Naji, Nazheng, Qingqi, and Qinying.

In troubled times, there were naturally not so many things to be particular about. Jiao Lian made the decision for Cen Danchu, eliminating a lot of red tape, and by mid-July, the "request for a date" phase had already begun.

The so-called "asking for a date" means that the man chooses an auspicious date for marriage and informs the woman of his consent.

Cen Danchu was seventeen years old and would be eighteen in September. Qu Xuanhui was nineteen years old, two years older than Danchu. Jiao Lian wanted to arrange their marriage in September, as the war in Pingle would be over by then, and it would be a good time for marriage. Danchu was not good at speaking, so she let Jiao Lian arrange it.

Ever since the marriage, Danchu no longer went to the garrison to avoid gossip.

On July 18, the Eastern Expedition was imminent. Qu Shisi invited Jiao Lian to his residence to discuss the Eastern Expedition and made an exception to allow Jiao Lian to bring Danchu with him.

The more important the meeting, the fewer people will attend. For this meeting, Qu Shisi only invited Lu Kezao, Jiao Lian, and Cen Danchu, and the meeting was held at the Tingfeng Pavilion in the Liushou Mansion.

Danchu secretly rejoiced: being able to attend this meeting meant that he had entered the core military and political circle of Guilin. The main reason was naturally that he had both literary and military skills and had made many brilliant plans, which had attracted the attention of Qu Shisi and Jiao Lian.

The servant brought tea and left. No one was allowed in the garden, and the garden was guarded by personal soldiers.

Qu Shisi said slowly: "Everyone, a secret letter came from Fengtian. A few days ago, General He went to Fengtian to see the emperor. Liu Chengyin was afraid that the general would be superior to him, so he sent troops to kill the general. The emperor ordered the Yunnan soldiers Zhao Yingxuan and Hu Yiqing to be under the command of the general. The Yunnan soldiers defeated Liu Chengyin, and the general escaped and retreated to Qiyang.

"Li Chixin's loyal camp, which claims to have more than 500,000 soldiers and horses, has just submitted a letter to the court demanding the execution of Liu Chengyin. The court officials responded and submitted a letter of impeachment. I plan to submit a letter to the court to impeach Liu Chengyin."

Although the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty were involved in factional struggles, they were quite dignified. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, many civil officials surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. However, there were also many civil officials who were unyielding and held the belief that they would never surrender. Some of them raised troops to resist the Qing Dynasty, while others stayed by the side of Emperor Yongli.

Although Liu Chengyin was domineering, he did not completely control the court. Even in Fengtian, his old nest, there were still court officials who were dissatisfied and dared to refute him in person or write to impeach him.

Jiao Lian and Lu Kezao said at the same time: "I would like to be listed after the elders."

Cen Danchu's position was too low to be listed. He had a clear understanding of this political trend and said bluntly:
"Sir, forgive me for being blunt. The key to overthrowing Liu Chengyin this time lies in Li Chixin. The overall situation in Hunan is in a mess. On the surface, it is because of the poor coordination between Commander He and Governor Du. In fact, it is because of the mutual suspicion between Ma Jinzhong and Li Chixin.

"Zhengtai Du has a strong character and is bold and daring. He launched the attack and requested the execution of Liu Chengyin because he had Li Chixin under his command. However, the Zhongzheng Camp retreated southwards, and withdrew many people. Their combat effectiveness did not increase but decreased, and they may not be able to defeat Liu Chengyin.

"Liu Chengyin is being impeached by court officials and is being pressed by the army. He is trapped both internally and externally and may be desperate. If he really surrenders to the Qing Dynasty, it will have a very bad impact on the overall situation."

"Ah!" After hearing Danchu's words, everyone present was very discouraged.

Impeachment is not the right answer, nor is punitive action. It seems like an unsolvable problem. The Ming Dynasty has become so corrupt that many problems are unsolvable. If we don't overthrow the past, we can't completely solve the problems.

They had no choice but to put aside this topic and discuss the expedition to Pingle. Qu Shisi said: "The situation has improved significantly with the uprising of the Guangdong rebels. Wang Xing, the embroidery needle, has recovered Xinning and Enping, and Zhu Chongjian, a member of the imperial clan, has recovered Lingzhou and Lianzhou.

"Our army has been resting for a long time. We should take this great opportunity to march east to Pingle. Marshal Jue, Antai, news has come from Xunzhou that Marquis Si'en is attacking Xunzhou fiercely. Can our army move out within five days?"

There were two armies in the Eastern Expedition to Pingle. One was led by Xinxing Earl Jiao Lian, who had more than 9,000 soldiers under his command. The other was led by Guangxi Provincial Governor Lu Kezao, who had 3,000 soldiers under his command, most of whom were new recruits and had weaker combat effectiveness.

Lu Kezao and Qu Shisi had a closer relationship. They were both civil servants, so they were in a superior-subordinate relationship. The 3,000 soldiers under his command were also considered Qu Shisi's model soldiers.

Jiao Lian said: "Marquis Si'en has been attacking Xunzhou for a long time, but he has not taken it. We should also send troops as soon as possible and respond to each other from a distance. If we can move camp within five days, our army will have no problem."

Qu Shisi smiled and said, "Marshal Jue is swift and decisive, and never bargains. He is truly a role model for Ming military commanders."

Danchu tugged at Jiao Lian's clothes, and Jiao Lian understood and said, "Lord, I am going to write a letter to Marquis Si'en to demarcate the border between the two armies. The area north of Xunjiang River will be led by our army, and the area south of Xunjiang River will be led by Marquis Si'en. We will attack Wuzhou together in the future."

Chen Bangbo, the Marquis of Si'en, was so domineering that he regarded Guangxi as his own territory, which gave Qu Shisi a headache. He supported Jiao Lian's proposal and understood his intention, so he asked, "Did you bring the letter?" Jiao Lian took out the letter and handed it to Qu Shisi.

Shi Xi glanced at it and said, "I am the lead author of this letter. Please also list my title to increase its weight. A few words in it can be revised."

Of course Lu Kezao agreed.

Danchu was very obedient. He took out his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone and ground the ink.

Qu Shisi took up his pen to revise a few places, making the wording more sincere and firm. Dividing the combat area is also dividing the territory. Advance communication is necessary and should be done.

Lu Kezao interrupted:

"Lord, Guangxi has always been controlled by Marquis Si'en. When the Qing invaders came to Pingle, Marquis Si'en retreated without a fight and abandoned Pingdong, Xunzhou and other places. He deserves death. Lord, you have the power to manage the troops, money and food. When our army takes Pingdong, you should directly appoint officials and not let Marquis Si'en interfere."

Qu Shisi nodded and said, "That's natural. You two armies should also divide the areas and clarify the rights and responsibilities."

As for the internal division of territory, Jiao Lian couldn't take the initiative to ask, so he said: "Lian will listen to the arrangements of the elder. As long as we can take Pingle, everything else is fine."

Qu Shisi was very satisfied and praised him again, saying: "Marshal Jue is loyal to the country and has no partisanship. This is rare, rare."

Then, facing a simple map, Qu Shisi pointed to the northwest corner and said, "Most of your troops are new soldiers and few in number. Please try to attack Hexian and Fuchuan. For the other seven prefectures and counties, please lead the troops to counterattack."

Hexian and Fuchuan are located in the northeast of Guangxi, one bordering Hunan and the other bordering Guangdong. Both are remote small counties.

Qu Shisi was lenient to others and strict with himself. He left the rich land to Jiao Lian, which moved him deeply.

After the matter was settled, Jiao Lian and Dan Chu said goodbye.

The news that Danchu will become the son-in-law of the Qu family has spread. Everyone in the mansion is very excited and crowded at the door to see the demeanor of the future son-in-law.

Qu Shisi did not try to keep Danchu, but gave him a red cape. Although it was not stated, the cape exuded a fragrance, as if it was made by Qu Xuanhui. There was a golden cloud pattern embroidered on the collar and a tiger embroidered on the front.

In the Ming Dynasty, military officers of the sixth and seventh ranks had embroidered leopards on their official uniforms. This cloak was in line with Cen Danchu's status.

Dan Chu was so overjoyed that he put on the cloak on the spot, looking around proudly and drawing cheers from everyone in the mansion.

When they were far away, Jiao Lianping stepped aside and rode side by side with Danchu. He said suddenly, "Zhuoru, there have been quite a few rumors recently, saying that you are secretly plotting against young people and are using foreign powers to bully others."

Danchu was stunned for a moment, then said calmly, "Zhuoru doesn't want to argue. Marshal Jue knows how to judge people, and he will not be fooled by rumors."

Danchu's reaction was beyond Jiao Lian's expectations. He didn't try to defend himself, nor did he get angry. Thinking about it carefully, this was consistent with his usual calm and rational style.

Jiao Lian could only smile and said, "You were promoted too quickly, so it's inevitable that people will envy you. A general is in the spotlight, so rumors are unavoidable. However, you should also be careful and not give others any handles."

Danchu smiled and said, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. The current situation is chaotic and the building is about to collapse. If we want to turn the tide, we must be brave and determined. Danchu is determined to repair the sky and is not afraid of these idle words."

Jiao Lian was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and said, "Good boy! You are a talented general!"

(End of this chapter)